Living a good life

It was in a public function that, the moderator asked an interesting question, “What does it entails for someone to live a good life?” The interesting thing about the question is the kind of answers people gave. Although, there were diverse opinions and views, one thing was certain; everyone pointed at something which they hope to have or do tangibly or intangibly with the hope if they could have or do it, the thing will accord them good life. From the answers, some mention having nice apartment, some want pleasure cars, some money, some demanded for good health, some associated living a good life to eating sumptuous meals or drinking expensive wins, some wearing gorgeous dresses with expensive apparels or receiving political appointments as a means or ways to live a good life.

The Desire of the Mind: One thing is obvious; it is the desire of everyone to live a life of comfort, happiness and pleasure. People want to experience peace of mind, ecstasy, joy and satisfaction. The urge to feel and experience the goodness of life is an indelible drive in the minds of every living soul; it is the reason people fiddle with their phones to chat or turn to their television or radio set to watch movies or listen to music or some engages in conversations with people for the purpose of relieving their minds from boredoms or worries. People flips over pages of papers or change television channels to catch up with one programme so as to take their minds away from unpleasant issues. The entire quest is to refill the minds with some senses of excitements. Some people engage in drinking, while others hooked-up in smoking; some takes hard drugs in order to forget most of the depressing issues and challenges which life brought before them. Yet the succor for pleasure which their action crave for do not last, it fickle away as the chatting moment or the effect of alcohol or drugs subsided. The feelings of excitements which they hope for deludes them because it was short lived and the cycle continues. 

Certainly, people are curious to have the meaning and solution to life daily challenges and exigencies. People move from one church to another, by becoming members of multi-religious organizations, they pay tithes with millions of naira, sing praises, recites the holy bible and other holy books verses, yet, a life of true joy and happiness deludes them. However, I am quite certain, there are people who live a life full of joy and happiness - yes, there are, and such people are quite few. Who are these privilege few that are living a life of true happiness? Are they special breed of people created separate by God destined to live a life of success? What do they know that others do not? Why are they favoured more than others? Can majority of people also attain such great life? Is there a price which one ought to pay before attaining such life? These are some of the questions that we need to answer so as to reveal the secret of living a good life.

There are Laws that Decides: In the universe, it is the law that reigns supreme. Every situation contains laws and principles which bound it up together harmoniously in an order of series or in sequence; without which our awesome universe would had been tilted before you and I existed. The law, “whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap” is an eternal truth which no one can fault or deny. Neither can one change its application, nor be pardon by its verdict. No religious relics can give one leeway to escape the punishment if a man breaks the law. If you are guilty you must be punished. Absolutely, there is a price to pay in order for us to live a good life. No doubt, in life, “what you give is what you get.” In computer they call it “Garbage in, Garbage Out.” All these are laws which are never bias and cannot pardon anyone irrespective of your religion, tribe, academic qualification, size, physical strength or financial possession. Take it or leave it, the law is the arbiter of who lives a life of joy, goodness and happiness or who lives a life of misery, sorrow and pains; there is no shortcut or a way to circumvent it effect, the only way to escape its punishment is just to obey.

No Excuse for Ignorance: Majority of people are not happy with themselves because they are angry, sad, frustrated, upset, rejected, bored or disappointed; or some are not happy because of sickness or poverty or hunger. All these issues culminate to suppress people’s mind and causes them to think they cannot live a good life. People are ignorance on how to handle everyday challenges; they run from pillar to poles looking for answers to issues that border their lives. Continually, majority of people see difficulties because their minds are conditioned with the belief of impossibility, scarcity and fear. If they could train their minds to see opportunity in any situations, they will begin to live a good life.

It is ignorance for one to think he can suppress the effect of living a life of selfishness, envy, jealousy, hatred, anger, lust, covetousness by attending church on Sunday’s or giving heavy tithes by attempting to alter the effect of the seeds of those evil acts in his hearts. Putting up a nice smile or giving to the needy for public recognitions are some of the efforts which human souls put up to subvert the existence of the natural laws, which automatically lead to chaos and confusion in our society. Since majority of people are anxious to gain pleasure without willing to invest their time to learn the laws and subject their body to the due process of attaining success, they think the natural laws could be bypassed. Some clever men capitalized on their ignorance and snare them as their prey and dislodge valuable possession, pretending to provide solutions to their problems, which they do not. They come in many guises; as man of God, sheers, soothsayers, native doctors, decorating their abodes with specials artifacts and chant some mantra or phrases in a language that is alien to the hearers and perform some rituals just to deceive and extort money from their ignorant captors. They never have any answer to human pressing challenges; the truth is, all problems will vanish as soon as humans obey the universal laws.    

The menace of crime, war, hatred, fighting and all forms of restiveness will not quell until we obey the natural laws that occupy the sphere of the entire universe in its rightful order. Just as you cannot suppress an inflated balloon without the air escaping, the air inside must burst to fill its place – it means that we cannot create a vacuum with our poor attitudes. If there is a cause, there must be an effect. If there is an outcome, there was a caused. It is our disobedience to the laws and principles that brought about crimes, diseases, failures, misfortunes, despairs, depressions, poverty, unemployment, and a lot of vices and ill situation we are facing in our society and our daily lives. Whereas, anyone or society who engages in love, goodwill, purity and gentleness will experience peace upon his soul and his society will grow socially and economically. Such a person or persons will live long, have good health, and his environment will flourish with abundance success. 

It is high time we find out and obey the laws and principles which govern our existence; it is the prerequisite, the only truth for anyone, any organization, any community, society or country willing to advance socially and economically. 

To be continued